Zesto Pizza & Grill

Well, make that a pie… because at Zesto Pizza & Grill in White Marsh, Md., that’s the only way their hand-tossed specialty pizza is served. Nonetheless crowds of customers are still pouring in to the newly-opened pizza joint in hopes of sinking their teeth into the Philadelphia favorite.

“I have customers telling me they can’t find a seat when they get [to Zesto],” said Scott Garfield, one of the two TD&A associates who worked with Zesto owner Nick Athanasiadis to find the White Marsh location. “But to the clientele, not being able to find a seat doesn’t matter because they are ecstatic with the product.”

Rave reviews aside, finding the perfect Zesto location wasn’t always the easiest of tasks. While Athanasiadis knew what type of customer he was looking for and the amount of space he needed, he was unsure of how to begin his search in a new market. So Athanasiadis reached out to the TD&A offices for help, and his call ultimately landed in the lap of Associate Stanley N. Varlas.

“Nick defined where he wanted to be and why from a practical standpoint, but just didn’t know how to get there,” Varlas said.“So we started talking, and by the end of the conversation Nick was going, ‘Show me.’”

After his initial conversation with Athanasiadis, Varlas reached out to Garfield for additional brainstorming and, using a combination of Varlas’ infinite knowledge of Baltimore County and Garfield’s ability to think outside the box, they put together a “Zesto game plan” and subsequent tour.

“When we took [Athanasiadis] to the White Marsh location, he knew instantly that it was exactly what he wanted and where he wanted to be,” Garfield said.

“This word gets thrown around a lot, but he really saw the potential of that space,” Varlas said. “He saw it was a ‘fresh market’ and that growth opportunities could arise as a result of a successful open there.”

With a strong knowledge of the landlord, Varlas and Garfield worked their magic and got Athanasiadis a “good deal where he has a chance to make a good living,” Garfield said.

Fast forward to the July 17 Zesto Pizza & Grill grand opening celebration, and it’s easy to see why Athanasiadis is well on his way to achieving the same measure of success he has in Philadelphia here in Baltimore County.

“He never stammered, never stuttered, he just knew what he needed to do,” Varlas said.

To read TD&A’s official press release on the new Zesto Pizza, click here.